MANAOAG—A group of priests, nuns, seminarians and a few lay people braved the rain on June 18 for a dawn penitential pilgrimage from San Jacinto town church to the Basilica of Manaoag while Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas waited for them to arrive for the Day of Reparation Mass.

Their messages in placards were conveyed like “I only spoke the truth. Why kill me?”, We are not a nation of killers”, “We stand with the Catholic Church”, “Stop the blasphemy against God”, “God’s justice be upon blasphemers”, “We obey God rather than men”.

A motley group of young seminarians arrive at the Basilica Menor of Our Lady of Manaoag to attend a mass for the Day of Reparation. (Punchphoto by Cesar Ramierez) 

Villegas presided the 7 a.m. mass after the pilgrimage walk.

He said the offering to of reparation to God was “because our land is wounded, is bleeding, is bruised” referring to the murders in the country, including the killing of three Catholic priests, the most recent was on June 11 when Fr. Richmond Nilo was gunned down while he was preparing to say mass inside a chapel in Zaragoza town, Nueva Ecija.

Addressing the young seminarians, he said, “I can understand if you are afraid but this is not the time for cowards. This is not the time to be afraid. This is the time to review our confidence,” Villegas said.

“Bawal ang seminaristang duwag!” Villegas told the seminarians. “Our weapon is the rosary. Our weapon is fasting,” he added.

He said while prayers can move mountains…. “but the mountains will not move if we are cowards, if we are lacking in confidence in the Lord”.

He said those who have cursed God, those who have insulted God are now dust and God is still God.

June 18 was the ninth day death of Fr. Nilo, the third Catholic priest who was shot dead following the killings of Fr. Mark Ventura in Gattaran, Cagayan on April 29 and Fr. Marcelito Paez in Jaen, Nueva Ecija on December 4. (Eva Visperas) 

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